Eight (8) people has been confirmed dead while 21 others sustained various degrees of injuries after suspected Boko Haram fighters planted bombs in along Maiduguri-Damboa highway on Saturday.
A security analyst and counter insurgency expert in Lake Chad and west Africa Zagazola Makama confirmed that 14 were severely injured, 7 had minor injuries and were receiving treatment at the Specialist Hospital in Maiduguri.
Borno state governor Babagana Umara Zulum has sympathised with the 21 victims of the blast.
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The Governor, while sympathising with the injured, expressed grief and solidarity with families of the 8 people that lost their lives.
“It is regrettable that it is happening at this time. Since last year or so, we have not witnessed an improvised explosive device [IED] attack. The road was closed for about one month, and I believe this is one of the reasons the insurgents had the luxury of planting an IED”, Zulum said.
The Governor reiterated his administration’s commitment to supporting the security agencies and urged the military to beef up surveillance along the highway to prevent future occurrences.
“I urge the Nigerian military and other security agencies to beef up surveillance along the road so that such incidents do not happen again,” Zulum stated.
“The government of Borno State will continue to partner with the Nigerian military and with the federal government to curtail the menace of insurgency. I want to assure the people of Borno State that, Insha Allah, under my watch, we wouldn’t allow the security situation to deteriorate,”
Meanwhile, Governor Babagana Umara Zulum expressed confidence with the outcome of the meeting held with military chiefs on Thursday in Abuja.
The Governor, responding to questions from news men in Maiduguri on Saturday after a sympathy visit to those injured from a bomb attack along Damboa road said, “Our discussion during the security council was not bad; we just raised an alarm that Boko Haram activities are resurging in Borno State, and the state government, the military, and other stakeholders need to work together to avert the looming situation.”